The Charcoal Project

Can briquettes save Africa's mountain gorillas?

Virunga National Park in the DR Congo is home to the largest population of the critically endangered mountain gorillas. In a recent visit to New York, the park’s Chief Warden, Emmanuel De Merode, told us that the greatest threat to the survival of the gorillas was the persistent destruction of habitat at the hands of the charcoal producers that ring the park. Every year thousands of acres of forest are cut to produce the wood charcoal the local population depends on for cooking and heating. In his most recent dispatch on the subject, Emmanuel writes: Replacing Charcoal with Briquettes – Continue reading